A lot of people have contacted us over the years asking why we don't release the 2 Butthole Surfers eps from 1983 and 1984 on CD. Well, we never got permission from the band to do so. But many of you should be pleased to learn that :

The Butthole Surfers plan on reissuing their two Alternative Tentacles EPs the self-titled 12-inch Brown Reason to Live, and Live PCPPEP, along with a couple bonus tracks on their own label Latino Buggerveil
. Hopefully we can carry them in our mailorder.

08/05/02: Introducing the AT Street Team!

Thanks to your interest, Alternative Tentacles now has an official Street Team passing out flyers and spreading the good word about our bands and records!! The new recruits are currently busy promoting our red hot spring and summer releases: the Skate Rock re-issues, Fartz , Ward Churchill , Apocalypse Always comp , and the latest Jello Biafra release The Big Ka-Boom, Part One

We are not actively seeking new members right now, but if you are interested in joining the street team at a future date, please e-mail streetteam@alternativetentacles.com for more information.

Alternative Tentacles has joined forces with Team Goon who are keeping old school skateboarding alive and kicking! To celebrate our alliance, Team Goon is giving away a big ol' prize package featuring:

Free Beer The Only Beer that Matters CDLos Olvidados Listen to This!!! CD Drunk Injuns From Where the Sun Now Stands I Will Fight No More, Forever CDVision Psycho Stick deck Vision Streetwear T-shirt

OAKLAND,CA - The jury in the Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney federal civil rights lawsuit against four FBI agents and three Oakland Police officers awarded plaintiffs $4.4 million for violation of the activists' Constitutional rights and returned a verdict largely in favor of Earth First! activists Cherney and the late Judi Bari. In a legal victory of historic proportions against the FBI, the jury found that six of the seven defendants violated the First and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution by arresting the activists, conducting searches of their homes, and carrying out a smear campaign in the press, calling Earth First! a terrorist organization and calling the activists bombers, in the aftermath of the explosion of a bomb that was planted in Judi Bari's car in 1990. This verdict finds unlawful the actions of those in charge of the bombing investigation, and vindicates Bari and Cherney.

FBI agents Frank Doyle, John Reikes, Philip Sena and OPD officer Mike Sims were found to have violated Bari and Cherney's First Amendment rights. In addition, OPD officer Sitterud was found to have violated Cherney's First Amendment rights. Doyle was found to have violated Bari's Fourth Amendment rights related to the search of her home, and Doyle and OPD officer Chenault were found to have violated Cherney's Fourth Amendment rights. FBI agent Doyle and OPD officer Sims were found to have violated Bari's Fourth Amendment rights in relation to her arrest. The jury returned an "undecided" verdict with respect to violations of Cherney's Fourth Amendment rights for his arrest.

Frank Doyle was the agent in charge of the 1990 bomb scene, and taught an FBI bomb school at a Louisiana Pacific clearcut a month prior to the bombing. Doyle was also the Squad 13 relief supervisor. Squad 13 was the joint terrorism squad made up of FBI and Oakland officers and collected extensive files on political groups in the Bay Area.

Reikes was the head of the FBI's terrorist squad who came to OPD headquarters the day of the bombing to give the inflammatory briefing on Earth First!

Sena was already engaged in a secret investigation of Earth First! and concocted a fake informant tip.

Sims was an OPD homicide lieutenant in charge of other officers investigating the bombing and the decision-maker for the unjust arrests of the activists.

Sitterud ignored evidence at the scene and concocted information that would implicate the activists. Chenault wrote the first fraudulent search warrant affidavit.

This verdict is a referendum against the FBI's gross interference with people's right to dissent at a time when Attorney General Ashcroft, FBI Director Mueller and the Bush administration are arrogating huge power to themselves and the FBI to spy on legitimate groups and organizers and infringe the Constitutional rights of the public. The filled-out 21-page verdict form is available for viewing and printing at http://www.judibari.org/third_verdict_form_final.pdf

Wesley called me at home again last night from his vacation (now in Denver, CO).
I think the purpose of his call was to remind me of his birthday, May 31st (and
to ask for an advance check so that he could properly celebrate his birthday.) He
originally asked for $1500 but we were able to talk him down to $300.00)

Although we cannot be physically with him on his birthday, we will be there in
spirit!

We are putting his music on sale for the entire week - from now until his
birthday, May 31st!

In addition, we will be auctioning some Wesley Willis items on eBay - such as
drawings, t-shirts, stickers,...

We hope to start 39 auctions in the next few days to celebrate his 39th birthday!

(BTW - as you know, once in a while we throw some stuff up on eBay to help spread
the word about some of our bands, and to make some rarities and collectibles
available to our fans. Well, the other day, eBay *Cancelled* a bunch of our
auctions due to language that was in violation of their user policy. Well,
unfortunately, alot of that was Wesley Willis song titles! So, we are changing,
"censoring" some language (mainly song titles) in our eBay descriptions.....just
so you know. Other "items" they had a problem with was the band the "Dicks" and
some MIA song and some DK shirt.......)

Yes, thanks for asking....we DO have a street team. However, due to an enormous response to the initial call, we are not actively recruiting new members right now. We do hope to expand the team at a later date so if you are interested here are the details:

Street team responsibilities include: passing out flyers at shows, hanging up posters around town, dropping off promotional material and doing stock checks at record stores, etc. Participants are volunteers (read: no pay), but perks include A.T. releases and merch as well as tickets to see A.T. bands when they come through your town...and of course, the satisfaction of helping one of the oldest punk labels still around! You don't need experience--just the desire to spread the A.T. gospel and some free time to devote to our cause.

The debut album by Dead Kennedys "Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables" has been
availble via AT for the U.S. for around 15 years now. We have always licensed it
from Cherry Red Records in the U.K. Despite such a long-standing relationship,
the owner of Cherry Red Records decided not to re-new our contract due to East
Bay Ray complaining to him for years that he should switch labels for the U.S.

The last day we were allowed to sell it was April 15, 2002.

It will be coming out on another label at the end of April.

04/26/02: NOMEANSNO ABANDON A.T.

Nomeansno have informed us that they are leaving Alternative Tentacles Records
after a 15 year relationship and over a dozen releases. The split is amicable,
yet the label feels shocked, saddened and bewildered by the announcement. There
wasn't any voiced disappointment by the band, rather, the band and their
management decided to merely end the arrangement. They said that they wanted to
control their records. But heck, thats how it goes! This is the music industry
(well, kinda).

Effective April 15, 2002, Mordam Records, our distributor, can no longer
distribute the Nomeansno catalog, rendering the entire catalog no longer
available to the public. (That is the bewildering part as they haven't announced
a new label or distributor so their items will be effectively out of print.)

(Also included is the Hanson Brothers album. Not included is the Jello Biafra &
NMN release.)

We will continue to sell our remaining stock (what's left of it) through our
mailorder for the next few weeks until we get rid of it all.

So, ALL NOMEANSNO LPs on SALE for $4.99 until supplies last AND
ALL NOMEANSNO CDs on SALE for $7.99 until supplies last

Your salad days resurrected on CD and vinyl!! Yes, folks, it is safe to
drain the pool and tune up that dusty deck in yer closet because we are
re-issuing (actually issuing in some cases as most of this hasn't been
really available before) some obscure yet essential skate punk records this
summer. Cool stuff from the early 80's. This is not the Sum 182 Warped Tour brand of skate punk. It's the *real* deal from when skaters weren't sponsored and skate parks were mere castles in the sky.

Sorry kiddo, duct tape and grip tape not included...

FREE BEER :
FREE BEER included teenage skateboarder/musician brothers Tony (Guitar) and Tommy (Bass) Guerrero (who has new stuff out on Mo' Wax) who were just a part of the short list of founding fathers of the budding musical and cultural movement known as Skate-Rock, pioneered by youth driven by their passion for skating and music that captured the thrill of the sport because "Nothing else mattered."

LOS OLVIDADOS :
Seminal skaterock band from San Jose, CA (1980-1983) heavily influenced by the
first wave of punk rock (Stooges, NY Dolls, Dead Boys, Radio Birdman, Saints,
etc.,) LOS OLVIDADOS were the Northern California equivalent of T.S.O.L., Agent
Orange, the Adolescents, and others from Orange County. Although featured on the
MRR comp Not So Quiet On The Western Front and the early Thrasher magazine
Skaterock Comps (#1 & #2), the band self-destructed before a full-length album
would see the light of day--that is, until we included it in our Skate-Rock
Re-issue Series.

DRUNK INJUNS :
From out of the annals of punk history come DRUNK INJUNS, the heavyweights of skate punk bands. As mysterious as the Residents, this offering of DRUNK INJUNS' early recordings circa 1983-84, packs a powerful 1-2 punch with searing guitars, a heavy driving back-beat, and mature, introspective messages delivered in a unique vocal style. Imagine bands like the Dead Boys, Joy Division, the Ramones, Sleepers, Hank Williams, Negative Trend, Rik L Rik, and the Doors rolled up into one with a vicious twist.

I've been hearing with growing disbelief, from the grapevine, tales of
the banning of the award winning reporter/producer, Noelle Hanrahan,
from KPFA-FM.

I can't, for the life of me, understand the logic of removing a
journalist who is so able, so talented, so aggressive in pursuit of her
craft, from the public airwaves. How can such a decision serve the best
interest of the listening public, who turn to KPFA and her Pacifica
affiliates for an antidote to the deadly corporate drone that passes for
news these days?

She has been a courageous and principled lifeline, not just for myself,
but for a number of folks who are locked down in U.S. gulags. While I
have some appreciation of the tensions inherent in the
management-employee relationship, I believe the bottom line (i.e., the
listening, supporting public) should decide the question.
I think it's clear that Noelle's work is a definite plus, that rebounds
to the benefit of KPFA and the listeners.

May I suggest that you look at this as an opportunity (rather than a
management problem) to rebut the presumption that this is a retaliatory
BAN in response to gender harassment claims that have recently been
filed?

KPFA has justly been seen as a bright light in the night sky of radio
broadcasting, and Noelle Hanrahan's passion, expertise and sheer guts
have unquestionably added to that luster.

I ask that you restore her to her slot on-drive time Flashpoints, and
let someone who clearly loves her work -- do what she does best -- work.

By so doing we all are winners; the listeners, staff, management, the
broader movement -- all of us.

P.S. if bennett tells you there were "other problems" ask him what
specifically. Write it down. Then remind him that there were "No
disciplinary actions against Noelle prior to his Banning of her". Ask
why she is banned.

Jad Fair is a living legend. He is the star of Half Japanese, an extremely
prolific solo artist, and collaborator extraordinaire. He has released close to
50 albums (under various monikers). He started Half Japanese in 1975 (a track
from HJ appeared on the notorious AT compilation "Let Them Eat Jellybeans" in the
early 80's) and has kept it active to the present with a revolving line-up. Jad's
music has been described as quirky, punk, childlike, beautiful, poppy, folksy,
noisy, avant garde, you name it. Lyrically Jad tends to sing about : candy, love
and monsters. There was even a documentary released about Half Japanese in the
early 90's entitled "The Band That Would Be King".

He is a name to be reckoned with and has influenced countless indie rock and punk
bands for decades. Hence he is deserving of his own month at Alternative Tentacles.

Aside from his music, you may well recognize his artwork. He even has art shows
in galleries across the globe.

To celebrate JAD FAIR month, we are making his new album with TEENAGE FANCLUB
"Words Of Wisdom & Hope" available to our mailorder fans a week earlier than when
you can buy it on other websites or in stores!

Hats off to you, sir, for a job well done! The Soviets tried for ten years to do what it took you only two months to accomplish in Afghanistan. How did you do that? It's funny how a couple months ago there were all these Taliban, and now -- there aren't any! You must be some kind of super magician -- almost as good at disappearing acts as ol' Osama (or, as they say on the Fox Nuisance Channel, "Usama" -- I like their spelling better, like "We put the 'USA' in USAma!"). He did exist, didn't he? I would hate to have gotten myself all worked up over the wrong evildoer! I loved that last tape of his, the home video of his sleepover with that sheik. What a party animal, that guy!

And how 'bout that Northern Alliance! Thanks to them, my weekly supply of heroin will finally be reinstated. Whoo-hoo -- and just in time for New Year's Rockin' Eve! Those Taliban simply did NOT have the best delivery system for the stuff, kinda like why you never see Beaman's gum anymore -- poor distribution and shelf placement. According to the New York Times, the Northern Alliance has put all the poppy farmers back to work, and they are promising a "bumper crop" by spring.

But Mr. Bush, I am most impressed with how you have used those who died on September 11th to justify your lining the pockets of your rich friends and campaign contributors. Your "Economic Stimulus Bill" -- pure genius! You actually got the House of Representatives to pass a bill eliminating the law that said corporations have to pay at least a token minimum tax every year.

See, most people forget that back in your daddy's day (when he was VP) thousands of companies were able to lawyer their way out of paying any taxes at all! Then a law was passed to stop that. Now you got the House to agree to give all these corporations back ALL the minimum taxes they have paid since 1986!! That's $140 billion of givebacks ($1.4 billion to IBM, a billion to Ford, $800 million to GM, etc.). And you got this passed, all under the guise of "September 11th!" How do you get away with this without the American public whoopin' your behind? Man, you are THE MAN!

Hey, and tell your top sheriff, Big John Ashcroft, that his refusal to let the FBI look at the files of gun background checks that the Justice Department keeps -- to see if any of the terrorists or suspected terrorists have purchased weapons in the past two years -- took some balls! Even though checking those files might turn up information that could protect us in possible future attacks, Ashcroft was more concerned with not upsetting the NRA than in helping his own FBI catch the bad guys. Now that's what I call getting your priorities straight. Big John may have lost his Senate seat last year to a dead guy, but he sure as heck ain't gonna lose me as a huge admirer!

Well, I better go before someone from the Office of Homeland Security mistakes me for someone who needs to be "interviewed!" Rest assured I'm doing my part for the country by shopping my sorry ass off in this week before Christmas. Buy! Buy! Buy! Tora! Tora! Tora! Bora! Whoo-hoo, Prince O' Peace!! Fight Team Fight! Go get 'em, George, Jr. -- we're counting on you to kill all evildoers!

Yours, Michael Moore
Third in Line to the King of Afghanistan
mmflint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com
P.S. You'll beat that Enron rap, just like you beat your other raps! Chin up! Who needs "energy traders" anyway? I never saw that job on the list from my high school counselor!!

12/18/01: MUMIA ABU-JAMAL's DEATH SENTENCE OVERTURNED!

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) -

A federal judge Tuesday overturned
the death sentence of former journalist and Black Panther Mumia
Abu-Jamal, and ordered a new sentencing hearing for the
convicted cop-killer.

U.S. District Judge William Yohn let stand Abu-Jamal's
conviction for the Dec. 9, 1981, murder of Philadelphia police
officer Daniel Faulkner, however, denying the death row
inmate's request for a new trial. But Yohn gave the state 180
days to conduct a fresh sentencing hearing, citing errors in
the original penalty phase of his murder trial.

Abu-Jamal is a cause celebre among death penalty opponents
around the world, including Hollywood celebrities and European
public figures, many of whom regard him as a political
prisoner.

Philadelphia prosecutors say Abu-Jamal murdered Faulkner
during a shootout more than 20 years ago, after the police
officer pulled over his brother for driving the wrong way down
a one-way street. Abu-Jamal, who was wounded in the chest,
contends he was shot while running away.

With dogged backing from a network of supporters, Abu-Jamal
has repeatedly maintained his innocence in Faulkner's death and
launched numerous legal appeals to stall his execution.